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2nd Guitar Axis or Gibson

Micheal D Lord

Micheal D Lord

Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2006
Messages
15
I have a Axis ss and I think it's awesome!! but now I am looking for a 2nd guitar.I was thinking maybe a Gibson les paul(never own one before) or a 2nd Axis.

I play mostly 80's Rock,how does the Axis compair to a Gibson LP?
 
The Axis is a total KILLER for rock guitar.

The LP is heavier, and the neck (to me) is wider and fatter. The Axis has a "broken in" strat style neck, but can match and exceed the LP's tonal qualities.

If you play 80's rock, the Axis is your guitar.
 
I think by posting your question here you'll get a somewhat biased response...

But here's my 2 cents.
I'd get the Axis. I can't stand Gibson short scales and there ginormous bodies. I love the axis for its tonal diversity, and playability. Gibsons get decent tone in specific areas, whereas the Axis can go anywhere it likes.
 
If you already have an Axis Super Sport, I'd say get another one, but with MM90s or get the Rosewood model. Gibson can't compare to Music Man's build quality, and IMO you can't beat a Music Man neck! I also much prefer the sound, but it's your choice, so try out some Gibsons and more EBMMs to see what you think. You might really like the Les Paul.










Eh, who am I kidding, get a Music Man! Seriously though, you're asking this on a Music Man forum, so you know what everyone's going to say.
 
Hope to get an Axis SS like my last one, the Tobacco Burst w/ MM90's.

Strap it on, close your eyes and you'd swear you had a Les Paul hanging there. The thing weighs 9.2 lbs... Really. It's a horse.

Hey it's your money. I bought one on a whim about 2 years ago. Had to have one, all my guitar heroes played 'em. Sold it 4 months later. *After* swapping out the pickups and doing the RS electronics "upgrade". The damn strings just layed on the bridge, it wasn't even grooved, any decent bends and it was pinging and slipping all over the place. I couldn't stand the neck and it just didn't have the "mojo" that everyone raves about.

I'm sure there are some good ones out there but I won't be looking for them. I can get everything I need out of my 4 SS's.
 
Micheal D Lord said:
I have a Axis ss and I think it's awesome!! but now I am looking for a 2nd guitar.I was thinking maybe a Gibson les paul(never own one before) or a 2nd Axis.I play mostly 80's Rock,how does the Axis compair to a Gibson LP?
Click to expand...
You have an Axis now....but never owned a Gibby. Have you played a Gibby? If not, you need to. I won't give you my opinion on them....you need to decide what is best for you. However, you are on the EBMM board and you will get biased opinions for the most part. Go to the Gibby board...they will tell you Gibby. You should expect that kind of answer. *
 
Michael,

I have always loved the looks of the Les Paul. I always play them whenever I see them in a music shop. For some reason, most don't agree with me. They are NOT all the same. Everyone has their own likes/dislikes. I don't like the painted neck (some years of wear would cure this....I hope). For me, I have only liked the Zack Wylde Gibson and like the new Ibanez white Les Paul the best.....even though it's probably the cheapest around.

Now....if you're looking for the heavy mohogony tone of the LP but want a faster neck, take a look at the Godin Exit 22. I have one and it is a much better fit for me. The price is more in line with a lower end Epi or Ibanez but the quality is excellent. They are a Canadian company with builds done in New Hampshire. You can get either maple or rosewood fingerboards on the maple neck.

jack
 
I go thew times when I think I should get a Les Paul to ad to the collection. I think of all the grate players that have used them. I look at them and think of the sexy eligant lines the flame maple and binding and emagine how badass I will look playing it. It is as much apart of rock as elvis, or jimi hendrix, marshell amps, the les paul is an icon of american music.
And then I play it............................................................:(

First it is heavy , way heavy. The scale is short and access to the high notes is not exactly comfortable. The neck is fat and angled away from the body so the bridge is high off the body of the guitar. The square edges of the thick body dig a bit in my fore arm. The quality control always seems lacking. The more afordable lps dont have the cool binding flame maple and better pickups. I am not a gibson hater I have an 13 year old SG i will never sell however I just find les pauls expensive ,uncumfortable and unwieldy. especialy compaired to my ebmm.


If you want something new and diferent try a fender . A strat is an icon so is a tele . There are a lot of badass ebmm I have a Morse and have a axis ss on the way. Play everything and do research ............buy american
 
You have an Axis SS so you know how good it is already. If you really love the looks of the Les Paul shape but want something thats miles ahead of it, then have a look at Taylor's solidbody electric. I have this on my wish list but not until I own one of each EBMM models.
 
Never really cared for Les Paul's all that much.... SGs on the other hand are pretty nice. I actually came really really close to getting one of those instead of my Music Man because I had such a hard time finding a Silhouette to try out in the store.

So, what did I buy when I wanted another guitar? A second Music Man.
 
If you decide on the Gibson I'd budget for a full set-up if it's new, I haven't been impressed with the ones I've had. The LP certainly has its own sound and idiosyncracies.....it was too heavy for me.
Personally I feel that Gibson have got left behind with their designs and there are better options. For example some of the EBMM models.
 
I know its off topic but for 80's rock have you looked into a silo special, with a trem and a maple board?
 
Micheal D Lord said:
I have a Axis ss and I think it's awesome!! but now I am looking for a 2nd guitar.I was thinking maybe a Gibson les paul(never own one before) or a 2nd Axis.

I play mostly 80's Rock,how does the Axis compair to a Gibson LP?
Click to expand...

allow me to save you a couple of bucks -before I came here I had almost a dozen gibsons - all shiny all great tone, but after my first guitar (An axis ironicly) - I've sold 95% of them!

EBMM guitars for me are superior in every way -feel, before you plug it in, tone, finish, support and customer experience.

It's your money and your choice, but if you want to save yourself some time and money take my advice - go try a les paul and then do an AB with an axis, they are made of different woods yeah, but the Axis feels like it was made by someone who gives a sh*t - That was years ago, I've never looked back
Hope this helps ya out.
 
Through trial and error, I can tell you that it doesn't serve much of a purpose to own two identical, or virtually identical guitars. There is a wide, wonderful world of tone out there that different guitars can give you. Investing in two of the same guitars is a little like a painter having two identical brushes.

I do understand the appeal of the LP. There's a classic vibe to it that can't be gained (for better or for worse) with other designs. I will say that the LP really isn't what it used to be unless you buy a Custom Shop reissue and those are big $$$. As it is, an LP standard will run you much more than a smokin' EBMM. Also keep in mind that standard LP's have weight relief holes to make the wood lighter (the custom shop models don't because they use better grades of wood). The latest models are actually chambered to make them lighter. Gibson says this is to make them better but I think it's so they can use even cheaper wood. Gibson products, on average, are way over priced based on the quality you can get from other companies such as EBMM. You pay a lot for the name.

All that aside, What vibe are you looking for? Vintage tone? An LP with vintage style PAF's would be a good choice. I don't really care a lot for Gibson pickups but the Burstbuckers are pretty good for this. A large variety of aftermarket PAF's are available so you can customize your tone. I love the Axis/EVH pickups - some of my very favorites - but they are not "vintage".

If you are interested in a good LP with great qc, for not a lot of $$$ do some research on the Epiphone Elitists. They are made in Japan, and in general, are made to Gibson C.S. spec. They use African Mahogany with no weight relief, Gibson hardware and pickups, long neck tenon, bone nut and sell new for around $1,200. They do use poly finish instead of nitro which is a huge deal to people in Gibson land. Not so much to people on the outside. I own one and it is the real deal for a fraction of the price. You do have to live without "Gibson" on the headstock though which is a shot to some people's fragile egos...

I'm giving you the above because info on EBMM products is easy to find here. Your other option is to buy another EBMM guitar that isn't an Axis. Honestly, I don't know if EBMM puts out a guitar with a "vintage" type tone but if they do, that's certainly an option. QC is certainly more of a sure thing with EBMM.

If you go the Gibson route, make sure you play the guitar before you buy. Their qc isn't the greatest and their products swing pretty wildly in quality and playability.

Hope this helps. Good luck and have fun!
 
My axis's can do anything any guitar can do.
Les Pauls and Strats are for people with no imagination...
 
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